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I have right ear eustachian tube dysfunction partly due to my cleft palate. In my lifetime, I've quite a few times ruptured that eardrum when I had an upper respiratory infection. Last Sunday I picked up another bug and have been in bed since then, except for a couple of doctor's appts.

I saw my internist on Tuesday, who sent me to the ENT that afternoon. I have both an inner and outer ear infection in the right ear. Monday night the pressure had become so bad I thought the eardrum was going to rupture again, but I kept using warm compresses, and the pressure subsided. But I'm left with an ear that feels like it's underwater and there's a remarkable increase in my tinnitus. The ENT PA started me on oral Augmentin and Cipro ear drops. I've been using Afrin since Tuesday, so my three days are up tonight.

I don't have a great history with steroids. They trigger my anxiety really badly and can do a number on my stomach. But right now I'm desperate. My equilibrium is so off that I can't really leave the house alone (again, except to go to doctor's appts). So I reached out to the ENT PA and told her I was desperate and would be willing to give a low dose steroid a try. So it's being filled at the pharmacy right now. I will probably wait until tomorrow to start it so I don't have to do all first day six pills between now and bedtime. I'm dreading taking the steroid with the antibiotic and what it will do to my stomach.

Does anyone else here have problems taking steroids? If you do, have you found anything in particular that helps you with the side effects? I do have a PRN prescription for Xanax and I will add that to my day to help offset the anxiety, but I keep thinking there must be something else I can do to minimize the side effects. I am desperate to get this ear opened up so I can hear out of it again, even if just a little.

I might call my psychiatrist (who is also my therapist) and run this all past her, but if anyone has anything that helps, please let me know.

Monday, when doctor's offices were closed and I had to go to urgent care, I had a horrible experience of getting swabbed for strep. Because of my cleft palate and the surgeries I had at a very young age, my gag reflex is off the charts. She tried six times, three without a tongue depressor and three with. I started to cry, on top of feeling like shit. My fever is gone, as well as the horrible body aches I had on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, but the ear fullness and tinnitus are almost debilitating. This shit isn't for sissies.

Does anyone else here have problems taking steroids?

They give me terrible insomnia and amp up my anxiety, just like you. I always ask for a few days of Ambien when I have to take prednisone. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to sleep at all. If you're so inclined, marijuana or CBD might help take the edge off the anxiety during the day.

I might call my psychiatrist (who is also my therapist) and run this all past her

I think that's a really good idea.

I hope the steroids help and that you feel back to normal as soon as possible!

Yes I have to take steroids fairly often. When I get a medrol pack I find it's better to stretch it out a few extra days. So instead of 6 day one I do 4 for 2 days then 3 for 3 days then 2 for 2 days and then 1 a day until gone. It keeps me from being crazy and allows me to sleep.
Take a Prevacid or nexium or prilosec 1st thing in am wait at least an hour and eat something before taking the roids. I also find putting water in my mouth tilting head back and dropping them in and swallowing avoids tasting those bitter monsters.
For the tinnitus you might want to try alpha lipoic acid and some magnesium glycenate also white noise will help not make it so noticeable.

oooooh, I didn't know it was possible to take it any differently. But that helps ease my anxiety about it a LOT! I will try that tomorrow! Thanks! I already take Nexium every day, but at night time. Maybe I'll add in a morning dose for the time being.

Also, my psych doctor reminded me that I can add a small dose of Olanzapine during the day to help manage the agitation. I take 2.5mg at bedtime for anxiety (it's prescribed that way off-label), but until I get through this, I can add it in the morning and mid-day. She said it might help more than the Xanax for the agitation. So I've got that in my pocket.

Tushnurse - question... when you split up the dose to four pills on day 1 and 2, how did you take them? One pill four times a day? Or two pills twice a day?

I take them all at once. That way it's out of my system enough to allow me to sleep at bedtime.

Also Nexium and all proton pump inhibitors are meant to be taken first thing on an empty gut to 0revent the gastric pumps from being turned on. If you take it after it's not nearly as effective. If you have nighttime reflux then you should be taking the pm dose 30 min before dinner or 3 hours after eating.

This thread did not age well.

I finished my antibiotics and started the medrol dose pak, with little to no improvement in my right ear symptoms. So I went back to the ENT yesterday and he said he's seeing a ton of viruses that are settling in the sinuses. Not really bacterial, but viral. So I left not feeling great about the next few weeks it might take for me to get rid of it and still have a complete blockage in my right ear.

Then this morning I woke up with norovirus. While I hadn't thrown up yet, it felt like it constantly and I was so weak that I couldn't stand on my own. So H and D (and I) decided it was best to call an ambulance. Spent the morning and most of the afternoon getting two bags of IV fluid (and Zofran after I finally threw up). The only lab that came back slightly askew was a tiny drop in my potassium, so they gave me some before discharging me. I feel better now than I did this morning, but when I talked to my PCP after I got home he told me to basically go on bed rest for several days, that he has one other patient currently who has an upper respiratory thing as well as norovirus. I haven't thrown up since getting home and just took another Zofran and will stay on it until I feel like eating again.

It breaks my heart that in moving here, we are picking up every little virus our grandson did. Our D has had norovirus for a week and a half now (she's much better), and H has had it since the beginning of the week. I just can't keep getting sick like this... they did rule out flu/RSV/Covid. In the meantime, I can't hear out of my right ear for who knows how long. I can't take decongestants because of my high blood pressure,

Thank you for allowing me to vent. Twelve hours ago I couldn't even look at my laptop or phone.

Number4, that sounds horrible! The ear blockage alone must feel so bad.

It is true about kids -- they are little bacteria carriers. My daughter is constantly picking up something from her middle school students. I don't know if vitamins help a lot - she takes vitamins religiously.

Hope you feel better soon and can enjoy your new home - and grandson!

Oh number4, that sounds truly horrible. The ambulance ride must have been awful with your nausea. I hope the zofran is helping you feel better. Sending you healing mojo!!!

You definitely are having a bad run. Good news is when you have each of these viruses your immune system should be strong.

Get yourself a high quality Super B complex, vitamin D , echinacha, and zinc to take daily. Also mucinex, plain old mucinex should not effect your BP and should this secretions enough to keep things moving and prevent infection.